Pepperdine’s Paul Carroll was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s men’s volleyball Player of the Year on Thursday.

Carroll, a senior opposite, earned All-MPSF honors for the fourth time, including a spot on the first team for the third straight year.

Carroll leads the nation in kills for the second straight year, averaging 6.29 per game.

Cal State Northridge’s Eric Vance (Camarillo), a senior outside hitter, was first-team All-MPSF for the second consecutive year. He was the first Matador to receive the honor in back-to-back seasons since the MPSF was founded in 1993.

CSUN’s Jacek Ratajczak was a second-team selection, with Matt Stork and Kevin McKniff being named third-team all-league. Stork (Crespi of Encino) was also named the setter on the league’s All-Freshman team.

Pac-10 Championships: USC’s Amanda Fink (Calabasas), ranked 27th nationally, reached the quarterfinals in the conference’s championships singles with two victories, her 18th and 19th in a row, at the 109th Ojai Valley Open Tournament.

Fink and Gabriela Niculescu are scheduled to begin play in championship doubles today. Fink/Niculescu are ranked No. 9 nationally.

Women’s basketball

Smith signs with UCSD: College of the Canyons sophomore forward Charity Smith (Palmdale High) has accepted a scholarship to UC San Diego.

Smith led COC in scoring with 14.8 points per game and was the Cougars’ top rebounder with 8.5 per game last season as the Cougars won the Western State Conference championship.

She had 13 double-doubles, helping her earn first-team All-WSC honors.

She was named the California Community College Athletic Association’s Women’s Athlete of the Month for January 2009.

Smith is the third Cougar from the 2008-2009 squad to earn a scholarship. Britney Bradley signed with San Jose State, and Arielle White will finish her final two years at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.